ISAAC HAS BEGUN MOVING INTO CENTRAL LOUISIANA, BRINGING WITH IT THE THREAT OF HEAVY RAIN AND FLASH FLOODS. STATE CLIMATOLOGIST BARRY KEIM SAYS IT APPEARS THE STATE HAS SEEN THE WORST ISAAC HAD TO OFFER. LINGERING RAINS FROM ISAAC ARE EXPECTED THROUGH TOMORROW IN ALMOST ALL AREAS IN ITS PATH. KEIM SAYS ISAAC IS FORECAST TO DUMP PLENTY OF RAIN ON THE ALEXANDRIA AREA, AS IT MOVES NORTHWEST TOWARD SHREVEPORT & BOSSIER. HE SAYS ISAAC IS STEADILY LOSING INTENSITY AS IT MOVES. IT IS EXPECTED THE STORM WILL BE DOWNGRADED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION LATER TODAY.

AS TROPICAL STORM ISAAC MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE STATE TODAY, ALEXANDRIA POLICE CHIEF LOREN LAMPERT SAYS THEY ARE EXPECTING UP TO TEN INCHES OF RAIN AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS. LAMPERT SAYS WE HAVE AN ADDITIONAL 10 TO 15-THOUSAND PEOPLE IN ALEXANDRIA AS A RESULT OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE EVACUATED TO OUR CITY.

ALL NON-ESSENTIAL CITY SERVICES ARE CLOSED TODAY. NO TRASH PICKUP IN THE CITY.. ATRANS BUSSES ARE RUNNING. BUT, MAY BE SUSPENDED IT WINDS EXCEED 40 MPH.

IN PINEVILLE NO RASH PICKUP TODAY OR FRIDAY. TRASH NORMALLY SCHEDULED THOSE DAYS WILL BE PICKED UP ON SATURDAY.

SCHOOLS IN RAPIDES, AVOYELLES, CONCORDIA, GRANT, WINN AND LASALLE PARISH ARE CLOSED TODAY. NATCHITOCHES PARISH SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED TODAY AND TOMORROW. ALSO CLOSED LSUA, LSUE AND NORTH WESTERN. LC IS CLOSED UNTIL NEXT TUESDAY. EVANGELINE PARISH SCHOOLS ARE OPEN TODAY.

THE STATE SENT SCORES OF BUSES AND DOZENS OF HIGH-WATER VEHICLES TO HELP EVACUATE ABOUT 3,000 PEOPLE FROM ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH AFTER TROPICAL STORM ISAAC PUSHED WATER FROM LAKES PONTCHARTRAIN AND MAUREPAS INTO PARTS OF LAPLACE. RISING WATER CLOSED OFF ALL MAIN THOROUGHFARES INTO THE PARISH, WHICH IS ABOUT 30 MILES WEST OF NEW ORLEANS. MANY OF THOSE EVACUEES ARE NOW AT THE STATE SHELTER NEXT TO LSUA. WORKERS AT THE FACILITY REPORT MANY OF THE EVACUEES NEED DRY CLOTHING. DONATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH OUT THE DAY AT THE FACILITY.

FEDERAL AID HAS BEEN MADE AVAILABLE TO LOUISIANA TO HELP PAY FOR STATE AND LOCAL RECOVERY EFFORTS IN THE AREA AFFECTED BY HURRICANE ISAAC, NOW A TROPICAL STORM, BEGINNING AUG. 26 AND CONTINUING. THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY SAID WEDNESDAY THAT FEDERAL FUNDING IS AVAILABLE TO STATE, TRIBAL AND ELIGIBLE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND CERTAIN PRIVATE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS ON A COST-SHARING BASIS FOR EMERGENCY WORK. RAPIDES PARISH IS ON THE LIST OF ELIGIBLE PARISHES.

CLECO CORP. OF PINEVILLE REPORTS MORE THAN 95,000 CUSTOMERS WITHOUT POWER IN ITS LOUISIANA SERVICE AREA AS OF 6 THIS MORNING. THE UTILITY REMINDS CUSTOMERS TO AVOID DOWNED OR SAGGING POWER LINES. REPORT THEM TO CLECO OR CALL 911.

THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION HAS WAIVED CLEAN GASOLINE REQUIREMENTS FOR LOUISIANA, TO HELP GET NEEDED GASOLINE TO AREAS HIT HARD BY ISAAC. DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY SPOKESMAN RODNEY MALLETT SAYS THE FEDS REQUIRE MOST SOUTHERN PARISHES TO USE A BLEND OF GAS THAT BURNS CLEANER. DEQ HAS ASKED TO TEMPORARILY SIDESTEP THAT REQUIREMENT.

PLANNING ON TRAVELING OUT OF THE AREA TODAY? YOU MAY WANT TO CALL 511 THE LOUISIANA TRAVELER INFORMATION SYSTEM TO GET THE LATEST ROAD UPDATES. THE SERVICE IS FREE AND AVAILABLE ON MOST PHONE SYSTEMS.

PURPLE AND GOLD FANS ARE ITCHING FOR THE LSU FOOTBALL SEASON TO BEGIN ON SATURDAY, BUT SCHOOL OFFICIALS ARE STILL WAITING TO SEE WHAT TYPE OF POST-STORM IMPACT THE AREA SUSTAINED TO DUE ISAAC. LSU ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR HERB VINCENT SAYS THEY'RE GOING MAKE A DECISION ON THE GAME BASED ON PAST STORM EXPERIENCES. VINCENT SAYS RIGHT NOW THERE IS NO CHANGE IN THE STATUS OF SATURDAY'S FOOTBALL GAME VERSUS NORTH TEXAS. HE SAYS THEY'LL LOOK AT THINGS LIKE HOW MANY HOTEL ROOMS ARE AVAILABLE AND HOW MANY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WILL BE AVAILABLE THAT MAKE LSU GAMES HAPPEN. VINCENT SAYS THEY'LL ALSO LOOK AT SITUATIONS THE MIGHT IMPACT THE GAME ITSELF.

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR'S OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION HAS CITED PLAINS GAS SOLUTIONS LLC IN EUNICE FOLLOWING A FEBRUARY EXPLOSION AND FIRE THAT LEFT A WORKER SEVERELY BURNED. OSHA WEDNESDAY ISSUED ONE WILLFUL AND SEVEN SERIOUS VIOLATIONS AGAINST THE COMPANY, WHICH PRODUCES LIQUID NATURAL GAS THROUGH A CRYOGENIC PROCESS. PROPOSED PENALTIES TOTAL $111, 000.
OSHA SAYS CRYOGENIC LIQUIDS WERE IMPROPERLY ROUTED, AS PART OF A RE-STARTING PROCESS, THROUGH EQUIPMENT NOT RATED TO WITHSTAND EXTREME COLD TEMPERATURES. THAT RESULTED IN THE EXPLOSION AND FIRE.